Don’t resist, fight, or flee from an officer who is arresting you.No police officer or school employee has the authority to strip-search you. Don’t consent to a phone search police need a warrant to search your phone.This may not stop the search, but this is the best way to protect your rights if you end up in court. You can refuse to give your consent to be searched by the police.And if you choose to make a statement, ask to have a lawyer, parent, or guardian present before you are questioned. But if you waive these rights, anything you say, write, or sign can be used against you. You also have the right to refuse to write or sign a statement. If the officer asks you a question, you have the right to remain silent.If the answer is yes, calmly and silently walk away from the officer. Don’t argue, resist, run away, or otherwise interfere with the officer. If you’re stopped by a police officer at your school, stay calm.Schools shouldn’t require different types of clothing for special events based on students’ sex or gender identity - for example, requiring tuxedos for boys and prom dresses for girls.
This also applies to homecoming, prom, graduation, and other special school events.
You have the right to speak your mind on social media, and your school cannot punish you for content you post off campus and outside of school hours that does not relate to school.This means you’re likely to be most protected if you organize, protest, and advocate for your views off campus and outside of school hours. Outside of school, you enjoy essentially the same rights to protest and speak out as anyone else.So, for example, a school can prohibit you from wearing hats - because that rule is not based on what the hats say - but it can’t prohibit you from wearing only pink pussycat hats or pro-NRA hats. Schools can have rules that have nothing to do with the message expressed, like dress codes.Courts have upheld students’ rights to wear things like an anti-war armband, an armband opposing the right to get an abortion, and a shirt supporting the LGBTQ community. What counts as “disruptive” will vary by context, but a school disagreeing with your position or thinking your speech is controversial or in “bad taste” is not enough to qualify.You have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions, and wear expressive clothing in school - as long as you don’t disrupt the functioning of the school or violate school policies that don’t hinge on the message expressed.